28-year-old man charged with second degree murder after 22-year-old woman found in trunk

Police have arrested and charged a 28-year-old man with second degree murder in connection to the discovery of the body of a woman in the trunk of a vehicle in south Winnipeg on Jan. 24.

Police announced on Jan. 25 that Michael Daniel Bourget of Winnipeg had turned himself in to police.

The victim, now identified as 22-year-old Jenilee Rose Ballantyne, was discovered on Thursday afternoon. Officers said a tip about someone being hurt in the home led them to information about a body in a car in the first 100 block of Pear Tree Bay.

Police have revealed that Ballantyne was in the company of a man on Kylemore Avenue in the early morning hours of Jan. 24. While together, the two were involved in a dispute, and Ballantyne suffered serious injuries. The man then put her in the vehicle and abandoned it on Pear Tree Bay, said police.

Some residents in the neighbourhood said the body was inside a hockey bag in the trunk.

Police said the cause of death is unconfirmed and autopsy results are pending.

A neighbour said a couple who appeared to be in their forties lives at the Kylemore home, but they haven’t been seen in the past few days. The neighbour said the couple kept to themselves.

Neighbours said police broke through the door of the home Thursday morning. Police have mentioned nothing further in regards to the couple.

Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact investigators at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.

Photos

Police tape surrounds a home in the 500 block of Kylemore Avenue in Winnipeg on Jan. 25, 2013.

Winnipeg police investigate in the 500 block of Kylemore Avenue in Fort Rouge early Jan. 24, 2013. The investigation led them to a second location in the first 100 block of Pear Tree Bay in South St. Vital and a woman’s body was found in a vehicle.